But a recent donation was unlike any other the college has ever received.

A pile of 14 aging wooden crates discovered in a Norwood carriage house/barn was donated to the geology department at the beginning of the semester. Inside, wrapped carefully in farm journals, postcards and newspapers dating from 1904 to 1958, is a remarkable assortment of rocks and minerals — which will dramatically expand the colleges existing collection.

We didnt expect anything like the variety we found, said Dr. Robert Badger, chair of the geology department. There are very good minerals coming from nationwide. This is from someone who really knew what they were doing.

Potsdam residents Beth and Jerry Patterson contacted the department about donating the collection, which was found in the barn at the house of Mr. Pattersons stepmother, Laura Bishop Patterson of Norwood, who passed away in 2011. Uncertain of the original owner, the family decided to share the collection with those who will appreciate it the most.

This is a very healthy and welcome addition, Kelson said. There are some fairly exotic species in the donated collection. I would argue some specimens are museum-quality. We cant tell if the owner had geology training or was just an avid rock hound, but the labels and the extent of the collection indicate that the owner had a passion for rocks and minerals. They collected some spectacular specimens.

Sorting through the specimens is no easy task, but two geology students are happy to have the learning opportunity.

Mitchell Haller, a junior geology major from Brewerton, has spent his spring semester internship sorting through the boxes, unwrapping specimens, identifying and cataloguing the samples.

There are very few duplicates. Theres a lot of different stuff, some with museum-quality labels, Haller said.

Brittany Snyder, a junior geology major from Horseheads, was awarded a Kilmer Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship to support her research on the collection. She has spent the semester analyzing and identifying samples that are not labeled, while learning to use two high-tech pieces of equipment — a scanning electron microscope and an X-ray diffractometer, which are both based at neighboring Clarkson University.

Its not as easy to identify these as youd think. There is a lot of interpreting. I had four minerals that looked very different but they look to be coming out to be the same thing, Snyder said.

Most Potsdam students do not get the chance to work with such advanced equipment, but thanks to the Patterson familys gift and the Kilmer funding, Snyder can expand her skills and make a difference within her department.

Kilmer Research Apprenticeships encourage and support student/faculty collaborative, independent research projects. The Kilmer Fund was established through a generous donation by an anonymous donor to honor Dr. Frederick Barnett Kilmer, a physician and analytical chemist who was the director of scientific affairs for Johnson & Johnson from 1889 to 1934.

The learning opportunity is one that Mrs. Patterson would have appreciated. Following her retirement as a long-time science teacher for Norwood-Norfolk Central School, she went on to serve as the supervisor for student teachers at SUNY Potsdam and was honored as Sponsor Teacher of the Year.

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